Having Trouble Finding a Flu Shot?

While I was out running errands on Saturday, I noticed a sign on the door of the local Rite Aid pharmacy: all flu shot clinics are canceled. It went on to suggest other places where people might be able to find a seasonal flu or swine flu vaccine. It seems like demand for the flu shots is high, and suppliers aren’t able to keep up just yet. More than one friend has mentioned hitting the flu shot clinics and being turned away (in some cases, it’s happened more than once). Part of the problem is that swine flu vaccine manufacturers … Continue reading

Swine Flu Vaccine For Everybody… but Seniors

The swine flu vaccine is coming soon — the first doses will be available the first week of October. But doctors are telling seniors to hold off on getting a swine flu vaccine. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that three point four million doses of swine flu vaccine will be available the first week of October — in nasal spray form. Shots will soon follow, for a total of nearly 200 million doses of swine flu vaccine available by the end of 2009. Once the distribution is in full swing, you can expect to see twenty … Continue reading

What to Expect From the Swine Flu this Fall and Winter

Swine flu has been in the news this year, starting with an April outbreak. The disease stuck around for the summer — a time when most strains of flu go away. Now health experts are predicting a surge in cases as schools reopen. One report suggests that between a third and a half of the U.S. population will contract swine flu, and October is probably the earliest we’ll see a swine flu vaccine. The normal seasonal flu vaccine does not include protection against swine flu. The World Health Organization says that as much as one third of the world’s population … Continue reading

U.S. Drugstores Are Starting the Flu Shot Early

Flu season is quickly approaching for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. While many chain drugstores typically offer flu shots during the fall, this year the flu shots are out early. CVS is offering flu shots a few weeks earlier than usual — they told the Associated Press that normally the flu shot campaign starts three to four weeks later. Walgreens started giving flu shots on October 1st last year — but is making flu shots available as of September 1st this year. Some Rite Aid stores are already giving flu vaccines. Drugstore chains are expecting higher demand for … Continue reading

Schools and Swine Flu

The first day of school is right around the corner for most American school children, and while parents are stocking up on pencils, glue and notebooks, the government is concentrating on potential swine flu outbreaks. Yesterday government health officials issued new recommendations regarding swine flu and school closings. The good news: Most schools should be able to stay open even if swine flu outbreaks occur this fall. The bad news: The vaccine against the H1N1 virus won’t be ready until October at the earliest. So what does this mean for your student? According to health officials, decisions about whether to … Continue reading

Will the Swine Flu Shot Be Ready by October?

We’re not done with swine flu yet… or maybe swine flu isn’t done with us. As of the beginning of June, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control are reporting more than 8,500 probable and confirmed cases of swine flu in the United States; the World Health Organization puts the global number of cases just over twenty thousand. The virus has been confirmed in sixty-six different countries. More than one hundred people have died at the time of writing. But we may see a swine flu vaccine in the United States as early as October — right around the start of … Continue reading